Tuesday, March 22, 2016

What the Appointment of Betty Rosa As Regents Chancellor Means for Education Policy in New York State

The appointment of Dr Betty Rosa- who i know well from private correspondence- as Regents Chancellor means a few things.
1. Reducing excessive testing will become a major priority for the Regents.
2. Charter schools will no longer be seen as the saviours of public education
3. Teachers and parents voices will matter a great deal in debates on education policy in the state
4. Schools in low income communities will be seen as important community institutions which should be nurtured and preserved rather than closed and replaced with charters
5. The Opt Out movement will be honored and supported
6. Billionaires trying to influence education policy will be viewed with extreme skepticism.
7. The needs of ELL and Special Needs students will be given the highest priority.
8. The Common Core Standards will no longer have a powerful champion on the State Board of Regents
How the impact of Dr Rosa's appointment will affect the Governor the Legislature and NYSED remains to be seen, but it certainly reflects a huge change in tone of education policy debates in NY State.